Quiet and Care
by Jax25
Summary: Regina is depressed, Snow is hurting, together they offer each other support and comfort. (Romantic Snow Queen. Things have gotten complicated.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I envision that this will either be a chapter in a longer fic, or that there will be a series of short fics focusing on this vision of the characters. This is set where we are right now (just after the events of s6 x 08), and I'll be writing more as season 6 progresses.**

* * *

Regina sat in a booth at Granny's, warming her hands on her coffee mug and watching little ripples break the surface tension on the black liquid within. Her mind was a thousand miles away, dwelling on what was happening…what had just happened. She didn't know who she was anymore; it felt as though she was just going through the motions of life, her fire and passion had gone with her "evil" half.

It wasn't as though she couldn't be provoked into feeling. The queen had proven that often enough, but the rest of the time Regina felt empty. Only Henry kept her from sinking into a black pit of nothingness, a welcome oblivion.

She never should have listened to Snow. That's all there was to it. Regina had known deep down that she would always have to suffer, but she allowed the pixie-haired woman to give her hope for something better. And didn't _that_ always turn out well for her? She snorted softly at the thought. One would think that she would have learned long ago not to trust hope. Hope only led to disappointment.

Regina took a sip of coffee. It was strong and bitter, words that could have been used to describe her once. Now she didn't know what words applied. Soft? Weak? Useless? She sighed deeply, not conscious of the way her shoulders slumped a little and her head drooped forward as the breath left her. Maybe she should go to see Archie. She didn't have much faith in psychobabble, especially from a cricket who'd gotten his psychology degree from a magical curse, but talking it through with someone who wasn't part of her cobbled-together family might lend some fresh perspective. Archie would still sugar coat things more than she liked, but his heart wouldn't rule his head where she was concerned.

She'd almost convinced herself to drop by his office, when a hand settled on her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. She managed not to jump out of her skin, but it was a close thing. Looking up to see to whom the hand belonged, she found Snow smiling down at her. "Evening, Regina. Mind if I join you?"

"It's a free country."

"Well that's a less than enthusiastic welcome," Snow smiled at her as she slid into the other side of the booth. "I guess I shouldn't ask how you're holding up."

"I'm fine," Regina straightened her shoulders, taking another drink of coffee to keep from meeting Snow's eyes.

"You do realize you're not fooling me, right?"

Regina sighed and finally looked at the other woman. "What do you want from me, Snow?"

"Why must you assume that I want anything? News flash: I care about you and I wanted to make sure you're okay."

There was a pregnant pause, in which Regina's natural instinct was to again tell the younger woman that she was fine and ask her to go away. As much as she wanted to say the words, they wouldn't come. Instead she heard herself saying, in a small voice that she hated herself for, "I'm not okay."

A soft hand reached across the table and claimed one of hers, again giving a gentle squeeze. Snow's hands were always so warm, and Regina's magic responded to the flow of goodness that lay just under the surface. She felt herself longing to melt into that calm, loving energy, even as her instincts rebelled against such a thing.

"Do you want to go somewhere and talk?" Snow's eyes shifted to regard the rest of the diner's patrons. "Somewhere more private?"

Regina nodded, not trusting her voice just then to form a response. Snow gave her hand a last squeeze before letting go so that Regina could find payment for the coffee and drop it on the table. Then Regina stood, slipping into her overcoat and grabbing her purse. Once on the street outside, Snow reclaimed her hand and started walking, seemingly in a random direction.

It still surprised Regina how natural the action felt, how right it seemed to be walking with Snow, their hands linked together. "How's David?" she found herself asking.

"The same, I guess. He didn't leave a note this morning. Just a rose on the counter. You'll have to ask him later, when he's awake."

"I'm sorry."

"I know." Snow's voice was so soft and full of pain that Regina almost couldn't hear her. She stopped walking, pulling Snow toward her and wrapping the other woman in her arms. Snow instinctively snuggled her head under Regina's chin, as she had when she was a girl, and a quiet sob escaped, breaking Regina's heart a little more.

"We'll fix this," she whispered, rubbing Snow's back, hoping to give what comfort she could.

"Will we? I'm not so sure any more."

"This from the woman with the inexhaustible supply of hope?" Regina teased gently, desperate to make Snow laugh. It worked, after a fashion, as Snow sob-laughed against her chest. Regina gave in to the urge to kiss the top of Snow's head and Snow clung more tightly to her.

Regina had to admit that things were bleak. Nothing had worked to break the curse, the evil queen was running amok, Gold was still being his horrible self, and Emma was convinced she was marching toward a death sentence. Regina was pretty sure _she_ was marching toward a death sentence as well, though she kept trying not to think about it. They could still find another way to deal with the queen. Perhaps.

"Come on, I'll walk you home." Evening would soon pass into night and Snow would kiss Charming for his shift in the waking world.

"I don't want to go home."

"No?"

"I'm tired, Regina. Tired of not being able to look in his eyes, tired of lying next to someone who is warm and breathing, but who can't hold me."

And Regina could feel that, couldn't she? Snow was clearly starved for physical affection, a state of mind that she understood far too well. At least she'd had a lifetime to build up protective walls. Snow didn't have that luxury.

Making a quick decision, Regina raised her hand and purple smoke swirled around them; her magic transporting them to her bedroom in the blink of an eye. Snow pulled her head back from its resting place and she looked askance at Regina.

"You didn't want to go home," Regina replied to the unspoken question with a half-smile, "and I was starting to feel self-conscious about hugging you in the middle of the sidewalk."

"Regina…"

"The offer to take you to _your_ home still stands, if you'd rather not be in mine." She extricated herself from Snow's embrace so that she could slip off her coat and hang it over the back of the chair by the dressing table.

"It's not that."

"What is it then?"

Regina slipped out of her heels, unable to keep from uttering a happy sigh when her feet settled flat on the floor, and turned to regard Snow. The younger woman was blushing furiously and Regina felt her own eyebrow creeping upward. "I. Um." Her expansive gesture took in the room, including the bed, prompting Regina to scoff lightly.

"I'm not going to molest you, Dear, if that's what you're afraid of." The look that greeted her words was one of relief, though unless Regina was greatly mistaken, it covered a shimmer of disappointment. That was curious, but she resolved not to think about it just then. Moving back to Snow, she prompted the younger woman to take off her coat, then led her over to the bed.

"Sit," she commanded. Once Snow obeyed, her semi-reluctance at being there still shining through, Regina knelt to remove Snow's shoes and set them aside. Smiling up at the younger woman, she patted Snow's knee and then instructed her to lay back on the bed. Again, Snow complied and Regina rose to walk over to her side and settle in, facing Snow. To Regina's mild amusement, Snow's body had gone rather rigid. "I really don't bite, you know. Well, I do, but only when it's consensual."

That was apparently not what Snow wanted to hear, because she bolted upright. Regina's hand caught her sleeve, pulling her back down. "Relax, Snow. I was teasing. Come here." She opened her arms to Snow, who still resisted. Regina could see the battle raging in the other woman. "No agenda," she assured Snow quietly, "just comfort, if you want it."

It took a minute or two longer, but at last Snow settled down, facing her and just watched her eyes. "It's not _you_ I'm worried about," Snow whispered, then dropped her gaze away.

Well that was quite the confession. Regina found her heart in her throat, a jumble of emotions beginning to war inside her. She couldn't quite ignore the heavy sensation of tension that settled between them, but she tried. For Snow's sake and her own. They were both far too emotional for their own good and there was years – no, decades – of baggage waiting to be unpacked.

Regina took a deep breath, then let it out before shifting closer. Snow watched her, expression guarded, but allowed herself to be pulled back into a hug. There was still obvious tension in her body, but she was breathing, which was good, and Regina sent out calm energy, as she would with a flighty horse.

It took a little while, but eventually Snow breathed out a sigh of her own and burrowed closer against her. Regina was reminded of the times Snow had sought her out for comfort when she was just a girl, Regina hating every moment but hiding it deep behind a façade of false care. This was much nicer, sharing physical intimacy without having to work to maintain the dam that held back a river of negative emotions. Besides, it made Regina feel useful. Her usefulness had become a foreign concept of late, and she relished the sensation.

"Regina?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

A smile settled on her lips, and she responded by rubbing between Snow's shoulder blades. "You're welcome, Dear."

Regina had to swallow a groan when a soft kiss landed on the base of her throat, her body wanting her to respond in kind, but her mind keeping the desire firmly in check. "Careful with that," she warned, her voice soft and husky, and her fingers brushed through the short hairs at the back of Snow's neck. Snow shivered and emitted a strangled little sound. Okay, maybe not so firmly in check as Regina thought.

"You're not helping!" The words vibrated against her skin and she stilled the movement of her fingers at once.

"Well, you started it."

There was a moment of utter stillness, then she was laughing, and Snow was laughing too. The electricity that had been building between them faded away with their laughter, replaced by a simple ease with each other. A sense of relief washed through the older woman. With everything else going on, neither of them needed to deal with the fallout of giving in to desire. They would eventually have to talk about their complicated feelings for one another, but this was not the time.

If Regina truly did have to die to rid the world of the evil queen, it would become a moot point anyway. That was a sobering, if depressing thought. Snow must have caught her shift in mood because it was her turn to give Regina's back a comforting pat. "We've still got each other."

"Yes, we do."

And that was what mattered, wasn't it? No matter what the future threw at them, they were family. Even if they lost a battle, or several, love would eventually conquer evil. They just had to keep finding the strength to continue fighting. The woman in her arms was worth fighting for, and Snow had proven time and again that she felt the same way.

Quiet reigned for a long time then as each woman lay, lost in her own thoughts. Snow's breathing was slow, but Regina knew she hadn't drifted to sleep. Hell, Reginia didn't even know if the other woman _could_ sleep without kissing Charming and taking on that part of the curse. She could have asked, but it wasn't worth disturbing the serenity. So, she remained silent until at last, Snow stirred.

"Need to use the bathroom."

Regina chuckled. "Be my guest."

She let Snow extricate herself from Regina's arms and watched as she crossed the room to the master bath, then watched the closed door for a minute longer. Then she rolled onto her back and glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was getting late. As much as she relished these stolen hours alone with Snow, she knew it was time for it to end.

When the younger woman emerged once more, Regina was on her feet, stepping back into her shoes. "It's time to get you home."

"Yeah," Snow sighed and moved to put her shoes on as well, "I guess it is."

Regina waited for her, patiently holding her coat and helping her slip it on when she was ready. Since she was going to transport Snow home using magic, she didn't bother with her own. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

The magic swirled around them and next thing they knew, the two women were standing in Snow's kitchen. The light over the sink was the only light on in the room, and Snow moved to flip the switch for the main overhead lights. Regina blinked at the sudden brightness and then offered Snow a brief smile. "I trust that you'll be okay?"

Snow nodded. "I'll be asleep, so…" Her voice trailed off.

"See you tomorrow." Regina leaned in to press a kiss on Snow's cheek, then gave her upper arm a squeeze.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

With a last smile, Regina poofed back to her bedroom, hating that she had to leave Snow alone, but knowing that she must. And she wouldn't really be alone, would she? Charming would be there, watching over her as she slept. Regina took comfort in that as she prepared for bed, knowing that whatever happened, Snow would be all right.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N To the reviewer who wondered what would happen if the queen found out about Regina's and Snow's feelings for each other….be careful what you wish for. You just might get it! *evil grin***

 **(This chapter was totally not where I expected to go with this story. Enjoy the ride!)**

* * *

"Hello, Sis. We need to talk."

Regina glanced up from the grimoire on the desk in front of her as Zelena breezed into her office. "Oh, do we?" The leather of her chair creaked as she settled back, crossing one leg over the other while leveling a cool look at her sister. "You made your choice when you sided with my darker half."

"Yes, well," Zelena waved her hand and one of the chairs on the other side of the room floated over so that she could sit opposite Regina, "I may have been a little hasty with my alliances."

" _May have_?" the brunette scoffed, "They have a saying in this world: 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Well I'd say the inverse is true. The friend of my enemy is my enemy."

"She's my sister!" Zelena's exasperation showed through for just a moment, "Am I supposed to turn family away when they ask for help?"

"In this case, that's precisely what you should have done. I'm your family too, Zelena, in case you've forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten. This isn't exactly easy for me, you know."

"I fail to see why it's so damn difficult. You," Regina stabbed a finger in her sister's direction, "were supposed to be changing for the better. Aiding and abetting villains is _not_ 'for the better!'"

"And what am I, if not a villain? I'm not naïve, Sis. That's what everybody sees me as, no matter what I do. The Charmings and their ilk tolerate me as long as I play nice, but I'm never going to be accepted here."

"When are you going to understand that not everything in life is about _you_?" Regina struggled to keep her voice under control as the anger built inside her. No matter how frustrated she was with Zelena, getting into a shouting match wouldn't accomplish anything.

Zelena looked as though she was about to spit back a sharp retort, but to Regina's surprise, she stopped and took a deep breath instead. Whatever the ginger-haired witch had been about to say, Regina would never know because what she did say was, "Belle came to me for help getting away from Rumple. She wanted to flee to another realm where he couldn't get at her."

"How'd that go?"

"Not well. He's using magic to force her to stay here. Lucky for me, I had the foresight to protect myself from him ages ago, otherwise we probably wouldn't be sitting here chatting."

"I wouldn't get too comfortable. You know as well as I do that he'll keep looking for a way to get past your defenses."

"That's the reason I'm here. I need your help."

"My help? Why not ask your pal the queen?"

"Oh, let's not pretend that I didn't see exactly what you wanted me to see when you sent me that note, shall we?"

"The queen and Gold?"

Zelena nodded, disgust and jealousy written all over her face. Regina wasn't quite sure how she felt about the matter herself, if she was honest. She had an irrational urge to feel territorial, as though the queen was further encroaching on something that was Regina's, but that was absurd. She and Rumple had played a cat and mouse game of power and control over the years, nothing more. If the queen had taken it a step beyond, it shouldn't matter to Regina, outside of the obvious concern that her two greatest adversaries were forming a more solid alliance. Except that it did. It mattered more than she wanted to admit, even to herself.

"How do you expect me to help?"

"We need to find some way to topple the unholy alliance."

"Agreed. However, I'm fresh out of ideas. How are we going to accomplish that goal?"

"You have to get rid of the queen."

"Yes, I'm aware. In case you didn't notice, my attempts keep failing."

"Because you keep going about it the wrong way. It's obvious what you need to do."

"I need to sacrifice myself to end her."

Zelena looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Are you mad?"

"It's the only way. If I die, so will she."

Dropping her head back, Zelena looked up and made an appeal to the ceiling, "It's like I'm the only one with a functioning brain in this forsaken town!" She leveled an exasperated look back at her younger sister. "You don't need to _die_. You need to merge back together with the queen so that you can A) keep that she-demon in check and B) stop being the pathetic milksop that's sitting here before me. Honestly, it's an embarrassment."

Her sister's words hit Regina like a slap in the face, but she really couldn't argue. Not that she didn't want to. As she'd confided to Emma back in New York when they'd been chasing Henry, it was exhausting battling that side of herself, and it was nice to wake up and not have to fight the war within. The flip side of that coin was that at least internal wars could be contained with a minimum of casualties. She couldn't say the same for the war they were currently waging.

There was also the emptiness, the loneliness, the depression that she'd been experiencing since she'd ripped out her darker half. The quiet moments with Snow the other evening had helped her feel better, but it was a short-term solution.

"All right, I'm willing, but _how_ do you propose we accomplish the reconnection? The queen and I are matched in power and she's got the dark one on her side now. You and I both know she's not going without a fight."

"Maybe she will."

"What?"

"Well, I don't think she wanted to be separated from you in the first place and she's already working to bring you back into the darkness. You might be able to reason with her."

"Reason with a madwoman," Regina deadpanned, "You have _got_ to be joking."

"I didn't say it would be easy, but it's worth a shot."

It was, Regina supposed. She certainly didn't have any better ideas at the moment. If reasoning didn't work, she would have to think of something else, something the queen wouldn't expect from her. Or she'd have to die.

No. She had to survive for Henry, if nothing else.

"Okay, I'll do it. In the meantime, stay away from the queen and Gold, if you can. I will help you with wards, if you'd like."

Zelena nodded. "I would."

"Let's get to it then."

* * *

The sun was sinking toward the horizon when Regina finally returned home, to find Snow White waiting for her. A smile bloomed on the younger woman's lips and she immediately pulled Regina in for a passionate kiss. Regina was caught so off guard that she returned the kiss for a solid minute before reason reasserted itself and she wrenched herself away.

"Snow? What on Earth…?"

"Don't play coy, Regina," Snow leaned back in for another kiss, which Regina again pulled out of, "not after what we did last night."

Last night? Last night Regina had watched _The Avengers_ with Henry and called a semi-early night, settling in bed with a book of magic to further research her evil twin problem. Unless she'd sleepwalked…

Oh, God. The queen. The queen and Snow… her mind rebelled against finishing that thought. But how could the queen have known about Snow's sexual feelings for Regina? And what the hell was Regina going to do now?

Snow was trailing kisses down her neck, making it hard to think. The younger woman's teeth grazed over Regina's pulse point, a particular weakness of hers, and Regina gasped out loud. It was like Snow knew _exactly_ the best ways to break down her resistance. As though…

And suddenly realization broke over her like an icy wave. She grasped firmly at Snow's short hair and tugged the woman's head back, almost vicious in her movement. Tears stood out immediately in green eyes, but Regina wasn't buying it.

"You can drop the act, _Your Majesty,_ " her words dripped with venom, "I know it's you."

The face before her shimmered with magic and then she was staring into her own eyes. Her hand was gripping the queen's long hair and she let go as though she'd been burned.

"You really are a killjoy, do you know that?"

Regina gritted her teeth and took a step away from her doppleganger, "And you are more twisted than even I would have given you credit for."

"What's wrong with a little fantasy fulfillment? For you, anyway," the queen's eyes glittered with malice, "I've already had mine."

Regina felt sick. It was entirely possible that the queen hadn't touched Snow, that this was just a ruse to mess with Regina's head, but she had a strong suspicion that what the queen was hinting at was true. "How could you?" she growled, fists clenching the fabric of the queen's bodice.

"Love is a weakness," the queen replied airily, "and I exploit weakness. Besides, I thought it was high time I tasted what you've been too afraid to all these years."

Regina's hand flew up to strike the queen and froze in mid-arc, as though the air around it had become solid.

"Tut tut, Dear. That's never going to work."

"I hate you!" Regina snarled, using magic at last to free her hand.

"The feeling is rapidly becoming mutual."

Regina stood there, glaring at her other half, and thought that her own death would be worth it, just to wipe that smarmy grin off the queen's face. "How did you find out about Snow?"

"The two of you made such a sweet picture, embracing outside Rumpelstiltskin's shop. It didn't take a map to read between the lines."

Damn it. Regina should have known better than to have an unguarded moment anywhere in Storybrooke while the queen was still lurking around. Now look at what had happened.

"I won't let you win!"

"Oh, my dear," the queen's voice took on that sickly sweet, yet patronizing tone that Regina was so familiar with, "you've already lost. You just haven't admitted it yet."

With a laugh, she was gone, leaving Regina holding onto thin air. "Damn it!"

Regina wanted to break things, or to cry, or _something_ that would help to channel her rage. Instead she marched into the house and straight to her liquor cabinet, pouring a very large brandy and downing it in a single gulp. The amber liquid wasn't quite soothing, but the alcohol did help her to collect her fragmented thoughts.

She _needed_ to talk to Snow, but how was she going to tell the other woman that she hadn't slept with Regina, as she'd believed, but with her worst enemy? How did one tell a friend that what they thought was consensual sex was in reality a violation?

Part of her didn't want to tell Snow at all. Part of her wanted to pretend that it had been her all along, to spare Snow any negative impact. She supposed that was the small part of her that was heroic, the part that wanted to protect the people she loved. The only problem with withholding the truth was that the truth had a way of finding its way to the light. The queen herself was likely to use it as a weapon.

No, the only option was to tell Snow the truth and then be ready to help her pick up the pieces.

Regina poured herself another glass of liquid courage, drained it, and then spelled herself over to Snow and Charming's. She paused outside the door, really hoping that she was wrong about all of this, then held her breath and knocked.

"Regina!" the way Snow said her name was all she needed to confirm what the queen had said was true.

Snow leaned forward and pecked her lips, before pulling her into the apartment for a proper kiss. "I didn't expect you this evening, but I'm glad to see you," the younger woman enthused.

"Snow, I need to talk to you about something. We'd better sit down."

"All right," Snow's eyes searched her face, "but first tell me the password."

"The what?"

"The password, so that I know you're not the queen."

A cold sense of dread crept up Regina's spine. That was one of the very things she'd intended to do – to give Snow a password or phrase so that Snow would know it was her. The bloody queen was two steps ahead of her _again_!

"Snow, the woman you were with last night _was_ the queen. _I'm_ the good Regina."

"That sounds just like something the evil queen would say," Snow's chin rose obstinately, "prove that you're my Regina."

Regina's heart thudded a little at being called Snow's Regina, but she had to ignore her feelings for the moment. "I can't. Anything I know, she knows too. Snow, you need to trust that I really _am_ who I say I am!"

"Not going to happen…Your Majesty!"

"Snow, _please_!"

"Get out of my house. Now." Regina was saddened to see a dagger appear in Snow's hand, though at the same time, she couldn't help but be amused. If she really was the queen, a dagger wouldn't be much use against her. As though she was reading Regina's mind, Snow spoke again, "It's enchanted. Shall we see how well it works on evil queens?"

"Let me guess," Regina tried to keep emotion out of her voice, "the queen gave it to you?"

" _Regina_ gave it to me, to protect myself from _you!_ "

Heaving a sigh, Regina held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. She didn't want either of them to get hurt before she could sort this mess out. "Okay, I'll go, but I'll be back when I can prove who I am. Please Snow, don't let either of me touch you before I can."

Without waiting for Snow's response, she transported herself straight to Zelena's and waited outside the boundary of the wards they'd put up earlier. The warning spell they'd set must have worked as intended, because Zelena appeared after only a short pause.

"What is it, Sis?"

"It's the queen. And Snow. We've got big problems."


	3. Chapter 3

"So let me get this straight, if you'll pardon the pun, your evil half has _seduced_ Snow White?"

"More or less." Regina looked gloomily into her coffee cup. "I don't think it was a difficult seduction."

Not when she recalled the tension that existed between them that night, and how easy it would have been to give into temptation.

"You two haven't…?"

"No." But she wanted to, damn it.

The thought must have been written all over her face, because Zelena gave her a sympathetic look. "Well, it's not the end of the world. Yet. We just need to make her see that you're not the queen. Maybe we should enlist Emma or Henry to help."

"Not Henry!" Regina replied without hesitation. She did _not_ want her son to know anything about this sordid mess. As for Emma, how would she take the news that her mother had an affair with the evil queen? Not well, she expected.

"Okay then, what about Emma?"

"How well do you think she'll react when she finds out that Snow slept with the queen?"

"We don't have to tell her about that part."

"I guess we could try. I just hope that the queen hasn't gotten to her too. What am I going to do if she turns everyone against me? What am I going to do if _you_ don't even know which of us is me?"

"Give me your hand." Zelena reached out, waiting for Regina to comply. After a momentary pause, Regina did as she asked. She watched as Zelena's fingers traced a series of complex lines over the flesh of her wrist, the tingle of magic at first pleasantly skirting the surface, then settling deeper. At last Zelena stilled her movements and paused for a few heartbeats before snapping her fingers. Searing pain lanced through Regina's wrist and she snatched her hand out of her sister's grasp. Cradling her hand against her chest, she shot a wounded glance at her sister, who looked unperturbed.

"What the hell, Zelena?"

"Look at your wrist," was all she said.

Regina looked. There was a perfectly formed tattoo in the shape of a feather on her skin. She turned a questioning glance back at her sister. "A feather?"

"You used crows; I used flying monkeys," she shrugged, "It seemed appropriate. More importantly, as long as you keep the queen from finding out about it, it is undeniable proof that you're you."

"Thank you, Zelena."

"Think of it as an apology for taking her side. As an added safeguard," Zelena waved her hand again and the feather glowed blood red, "If someone channels magic at you, the mark will glow. It's a type of protective ward, attuned to light magic. Any sort of magic will activate it, but without your light magic to feed on, it won't work. If the queen _does_ try to impersonate you, she won't be able to get past any one of us who can cast a spell. She only has dark magic."

It was a stroke of brilliance. Regina smiled, tracing the lines with her index finger. She channeled a small amount of magic into it, and the tattoo looked normal again.

"Now, shall we go tell Emma what's happened?"

Regina shook her head. "You stay here. There's no point in you risking your neck unless it's absolutely necessary."

"All right, Sis. If you need me, you know where to find me."

"I do." Regina walked over to give her sister a hug. "Thanks again. For everything."

"You're welcome. Now go."

 **oOoOoOo**

As luck would have it, Regina found Emma alone in the sheriff's office, finishing up some paperwork before heading home for the night. The blonde looked up as she entered and closed the door behind her. "Regina? What's up?"

"We have a problem," she began without preamble, leaning against the wall by the door, "the evil queen has convinced your mother that she is me. Snow asked me to give her a password to prove who I am, which of course I don't know."

"How do I know which one you are?" Emma asked shrewdly, gray-green eyes boring into her. Regina sighed.

"After all we've been through together, you can't tell?"

"I don't know, Regina. You've got to admit, she does a pretty good you; she even had Henry fooled for a while."

The two women looked at each other for a minute, not speaking. Regina felt tired all of a sudden. It was dispiriting to find that her friends and chosen family couldn't tell the difference between her and the evil queen. She walked over to the chair opposite Emma and collapsed into it.

"After you and I brought Henry and Violet home from New York, before we knew that the queen had survived, we sat down, just you and me, and had a long talk about the future. You confessed that you were afraid of pursuing domestic bliss with the pirate, but you were hopeful that you'd finally be able to provide a stable second home for Henry. You were still concerned about my grief over Robin, which was sweet of you, but I assured you that I could deal with my own emotions. We had a few too many whiskey sours and you ended up passed out on my couch. Do I need to go on?"

"No, I'm pretty sure the queen wouldn't have found out about that. My question is, why didn't you just tell my mom something that you know that the queen doesn't?"

"Because we've shared fewer moments alone than you and I have," but what moments they were, "and I have no idea what she might have told my other half. She demanded the password that the queen gave her, and when I wasn't able to give it, she threatened me with an enchanted dagger."

"An enchanted dagger?" Emma shifted uncomfortably, "My mom did that?"

"Yes, and I didn't stick around to continue trying to convince her. I didn't want either of us getting hurt."

"This just happened?"

"About an hour ago. I went to Zelena first."

"Zelena? Why did you go to her instead of me?"

"Because it's your mother we're talking about, and I couldn't be sure that the queen hadn't also gotten to you."

"That makes sense," Emma conceded, "luckily I haven't seen her since we broke out of the mirror in your crypt."

"She's been too busy ruining my life to meddle in yours, I suppose."

"Hey, we'll get it sorted with Mom. Don't worry. The tougher thing will be keeping the queen from fooling us again."

Regina silently unbuttoned the cuff of her blouse and rolled it up so that Emma could see the tattoo. The blonde's eyes widened for a second, and then her gaze met Regina's. "You got ink?"

"After a fashion. Zelena put it there as a way for me to prove who I am. Channel magic at it."

Emma raised her hand, only a small tremor belying her recent issues, and Regina felt the caress of the savior's magic. The mark glowed, just as it had before, and Emma uttered a sound of surprise.

"My sister says that's tied to my light magic so if the queen discovers my new decoration, which we should try to keep secret if we can, anyone with magic can activate the mark and see that I am who I say I am."

"And the queen can't replicate the effect?"

"That remains to be seen. Zelena didn't seem to think so. I hope she's right."

"I hope so too, or life is going to get way too complicated."

"As though it wasn't already."

"Yeah," Emma glanced at the clock on the wall, "well, it's probably too late to talk to Mom now, but we can go tell David what's going on. He needs to be kept in the loop in case the queen tries something with him."

"Agreed."

Regina waited while the sheriff closed everything up, and then followed the blonde out to her yellow death trap of a car. She didn't speak, just slid into the passenger seat and belted herself in.

"It's going to be okay, Regina. We'll fix this."

"Funny," Regina gave a self-conscious laugh, "I just told Snow the same thing a few days ago."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, before things started sliding farther and farther from the realm of 'okay.'"

"Have a little faith."

The brunette snorted. "The only thing I have faith in right now is Murphy's Law. If anything can go wrong in this crazy family of ours, it will."

"That's a bleak attitude."

"On the contrary, it's a realistic one."

Emma didn't comment further, which was fine with Regina. They'd speak at length once they reached the Charmings', she was sure.

After they parked, Emma led the way upstairs. She knocked on the door and glanced at Regina while they waited, offering her a smile of commiseration. It looked like she was about to say something when the door opened. It was clear that something had happened. David was not his usual, smiling self, and when his eyes fell on Regina, he actually snarled and launched himself at her. Before she could react, he grabbed her by the lapels of her wool coat and slammed her against the wall, knocking the air out her lungs with the impact. Her head rebounded from the wall, setting her ears to ringing so that she missed the first of what he said. When his words started making sense again, she heard him shouting, "How could you, Regina?" He shook her like a rag doll while Emma scrambled to pull him away, "I _trusted you!_ How could you!"

"Dad! Dad, what the hell?"

David didn't pay a scrap of attention to his daughter. His whole focus was riveted on the woman in front of him.

"David, I can explain."

"You can explain why you fucked my wife?" he spat out.

Emma froze in shock. "She _what_?"

"It was the queen!" Regina said desperately, feeling the situation spiraling even further out of control. "I don't know how you know, but please believe me! It was the queen!"

"You _knew_ and you didn't tell me?" Emma rounded on her as well.

"Did you really want to hear lurid details about your mother and the evil queen?"

The blonde grimaced, but shook her head. It was only then that she seemed to realize that David still had a death grip on Regina's jacket. "Dad, let go. Let's go inside and try to sort all this out."

"How do we know she isn't really the queen?"

"Let me go and I'll explain everything. Please, David."

"She's not the queen, Dad," Emma assured him, "She already proved it to me."

Charming at last relented when his daughter spoke up, loosening his grip on Regina and turning without another word. The women followed him inside the apartment. He went as far as the kitchen island and leaned against it, his arms crossed over his chest. "Okay, Regina, start explaining."

"First tell me, how did you find out about the queen…and Snow," that was still hard for her to say.

David gestured at a manila envelope on the counter. There was a sinking feeling in Regina's gut as she picked it up. She knew what she'd find inside, even before she opened it. A quick glance was all she could stomach before she summoned a fireball to burn the whole thing to ash. Her fingers twitched as she dropped the last flaming strip into the sink and watched as it was consumed. She wished it could have been the queen that she watched burning in its place.

"Why would she _do_ this?" the pain was clear in Charming's voice.

Regina wasn't sure whether he meant Snow or the queen, but she felt for him, she really did. "The queen wants to hurt us any way she can. She wants to break us apart because individually, we pose less of a threat. Divide and conquer. If we're fighting each other, we can't fight her." She drew in a breath, "And she wants to punish me most of all."

"But _Snow?_ " David's voice broke and Emma moved to comfort him.

"It's complicated," Regina murmured.

"Did you…Do you…" he couldn't form a question, but she knew what he was asking. She shook her head.

"We've never discussed our feelings. There's something there, but…" she shrugged helplessly. It was hard to face their stares, so instead she focused on plucking at a stray thread dangling from her coat sleeve.

The silence became oppressive, forcing her after a while to look up again. "I don't know what you want me to say, David. I'd give anything to go back and prevent what happened, but I can't. This is something the two of you need to hash out together, and move forward from – or not."

"In case you haven't noticed, _we can't DO that thanks to your evil half!_ "

"I know you can't do it now, but when you can. I still need to convince Snow that I'm not the evil queen. I tried to tell her what happened earlier and she threatened me."

David ran his hand over his face and let out his breath in a long sigh, "This is fucked up, Regina."

She didn't need him to tell her that. "No argument from me."

"Dad, I know that it's asking a lot right now, but do you think you could wake Mom? I think the quicker we get all of this sorted out, the better."

He mulled it over for a minute, but then nodded. "Okay. If you'll pass along a message for me."

"Sure thing."

"Tell her that even though I'm mad as hell right now, I will always love her, and we'll work this out when we can."

"Anything else?"

"No," he turned his eyes on Regina. "You and I need to talk too."

Regina didn't relish that prospect, but she nodded her agreement. "Of course, David."

He pushed off from the counter to walk to the bed where Snow was sleeping, but before he could go more than two steps, Regina caught his arm. "David, before you go, we still haven't told you how to tell me from the queen."

Charming paused, just waiting. She showed him the mark, explained the spells, and cautioned him to keep it secret. He nodded his understanding, then continued to Snow's side. Emma followed, standing at the other side of the bed. Regina leaned against the door frame to watch, her insides tying themselves in knots.

David looked up at his daughter for a long moment, and nodded again. Then he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Snow's lips. The curse took hold, his head hitting the pillow as Snow's eyes fluttered open. She blinked, a confused frown setting on her face when she took in the darkened windows and the presence of the two women in her room.

"Emma? Regina? What's going on?"

"Mom, we really need to talk."

* * *

 **A/N Since I have no faith in people noticing a response to a guest comment in my reviews, someone asked how, if Snow loves Regina, Charming can still wake her using the curse. My response to that is that, obviously, a human being can love more than one person at the same time. Because I'm polyamorous, that seems like the most natural thing in the world to me to grasp, but I realise that other people might not "get it" as intuitively as I do. So here it is: Snow loves Charming AND Regina. The two loves are not mutually exclusive. Snow does not love Charming LESS because she loves Regina, nor do I think she loves Regina more. Her feelings at this stage of the game are still really confused and complex, as are Regina's. They're about to be made even more so as Snow finds out about her tryst with the queen. -J**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I just wanted to let everyone know how this dovetails with canon now that there has been a new episode. Pretty much assume that everything in this story progresses exactly the way it happened in episode 06x09 EXCEPT the fight scene with Regina, the queen and Zelena and the scene afterward between Zelena and Regina. This story has diverged quite a bit in that regard (for instance,** _ **my**_ **Regina still retains her capacity for empathy, which clearly canon Regina does not), so it's easier for me to just modify the scenes in question to make them fit the context of my story. From here on out though, I expect my story to be pretty canon-divergent.**

* * *

Snow sat at the kitchen table as they told her everything, becoming more visibly distressed as the magnitude of what the queen had done began to set in. By the end, her head was in her hands, and Regina found herself desperately wanting to comfort the pixie-haired woman. Of course she couldn't do that, not without overstepping boundaries that had grown as tall as castle walls, and the feeling of powerlessness frustrated her to no end. To escape the impotence gnawing at her, she got up and stalked over to the window, staring out at the darkened street below. After a moment, Emma joined her, apparently to give her mother some space to process.

"This can't go on," Regina murmured to the blonde.

"I know."

"Zelena wanted me to try to reason with the queen, in order to get her to join back with me somehow," she looked at Emma to gauge her reaction to that, "but that's out of the question now. She's gone too far."

"What are you going to do then? Regina, I know that look. You're thinking of doing something stupid."

"I'm going to do what's necessary to stop her, like I should have done before you interfered. Stay out of my way this time, Emma. Not everyone deserves to be saved." _I don't. I don't deserve to be saved._

"Regina," she felt a familiar touch on the shoulder away from Emma, "please don't sacrifice yourself on my account."

"How can you say that to me after what she did to you?" Regina turned away from the window so that she could see Snow's face.

Instead of answering the question, Snow turned to address her daughter, "Emma, could you give us a few minutes alone?"

The blonde opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it, and just nodded. "Sure."

They watched her leave, and once the door clicked shut, Regina waited to hear what Snow would say.

"I don't want to lose you," Snow told her quietly. "After all of this, don't make me mourn you too."

Regina closed her eyes and felt Snow's fingertips brush the side of her face. "I don't know how you can bear to look at me."

"You don't?"

Regina shook her head.

"Regina, open your eyes. Please."

She did as Snow asked, and found herself staring into those green eyes she knew so well. "Trust me, I loathe the queen right now," Snow said, "but when I made the choice to be with her, it was _you_ I thought I was choosing. My Regina. Knowing now that it was her and not you, that it was all part of some game to her, makes me sick to my stomach, but it's _not your fault_! None of this is on you, Regina. I made my own choices."

"But if I hadn't let Emma talk me out of killing her…"

"You'd be dead and I'd be beside myself with grief."

"Everyone would be better off without me."

"Damn it, Regina!" Snow's temper flared at last, and she grabbed the older woman by the shoulders to give her a shake, "you need to snap out of this cycle of self-loathing you've fallen into! It's not helping you, or me, or anyone else you love."

The fire of Snow's anger ignited a response in Regina and she found herself snapping back, "The alternative is joining back with that woman! It's taking back all of the worst parts of myself that you were so happy that I ripped out and threw away! The parts that lied to you, that forced themselves on you, the parts that hate you and intend for you and Charming to suffer for eternity. Is that what you want? Is it, Snow? _Is that truly what you want_?"

"Regina…"

The sudden softness of Snow's voice saying her name snapped Regina out of her growing rage and into a moment of cold clarity. She realized that she had the other woman pressed up against the wall, her hands clenched tight on Snow's upper arms, holding her immobile. Immediately Regina let go and took a step back, feeling ashamed. She had allowed herself to lose control at the one moment she needed control the most.

"I'm sorry, Snow." She took one last look into those green eyes and muttered, "I'm sorry for everything."

"Regina, wait…"

But she couldn't wait. She couldn't stay there with Snow any longer or who knew what would happen. Channeling her magic, she fled, disappearing in the familiar cloud of smoke.

 **oOoOo**

Her phone buzzed again, as it had been doing on and off for an hour. She ignored it. She should set it to silent but she just couldn't muster the energy, so instead she stared up at her bedroom ceiling and listened to it vibrate. She supposed she should be glad that neither Snow nor Emma had come barging into her house to demand further conversation – though that could still happen. Perhaps they were smart enough realize that she would just flee again if they tried it, and this time she'd go somewhere where she wouldn't be so easy to find. She really wished they'd take the hint that she wasn't going to answer the phone though.

At last the buzzing fell silent and Regina let her eyes close. Exhaustion tugged at her, but the ongoing battle with her emotions kept her from giving in to the blissful oblivion of sleep. She wondered if the queen was sleeping, or if the woman was even now plotting new and ever more creative ways to torture Regina and the ones she loved. At least Snow should be safe from the queen's machinations long enough for Regina to do what she was going to do. Though what her course of action was ultimately going to be, she still didn't know.

If she wanted to end it right now, she could. It would be a simple matter of pulling out her heart and crushing it. The problem with that was that every time she thought she'd worked up the courage to just do it, she would think of Henry or the memory of Snow calling her _my Regina_ would resurface, and she lost the will to act.

"It turns out you were right all along, Mother," she whispered, a tear escaping to slide down her cheek, "love is weakness, and I'm as weak as you always told me I was."

She half-expected the queen to appear when she finally admitted it aloud, to laugh at Regina's weakness and rub salt into the open wound. But there was nothing. No taunts or jeers, not even the insistent buzzing of her phone. An overwhelming sense of loneliness rose up and claimed her instead, and all she could do was curl up around one of her pillows, hugging it tight until sleep finally claimed her.

 **oOoOo**

It was late when Regina awoke, much later than was her habit. Her mind was groggy and the area behind her eyes ached, as though she was suffering from a hangover, but of course she hadn't touched a drop of alcohol. Once she considered the emotional turmoil and utter exhaustion of the previous day, however, the fallout made a lot of sense.

After a bit of effort, she managed to force herself out of bed and into a hot shower. The heat and soothing effect of the water made her feel somewhat more human, and she progressed through her morning routine on autopilot while considering the next move in her chess match with the queen. First, she would check on Zelena. Then it would be time for a show-down. Regina wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but she would be glad to end this, once and for all.

 _"Enough games, let's end this!"_

She arrived at the farm house just in time to witness the queen throwing a fireball at her sister, the end product of which was Zelena flying through the air and collapsing in a heap in front of the shed. Regina's other half stalked forward, her posture full of taunting menace, "Hmm, looks like evil _does_ beat wicked. Goodbye, Sis!"

Regina acted purely on instinct, shoving her hand into her own chest and tearing her heart free. The queen doubled over, gasping out, "No…my heart…"

"Not _your_ heart," Regina spat, "mine!"

"Regina!" Zelena gaped up at her with wide eyes, and Regina thought she'd never seen her sister so pleased to see her.

"You can't control me with that!" the queen told Regina, a modicum of her bravado returning.

"Oh, I don't have to. All I have to do is crush it."

Now she saw the fear in the queen's eyes and it was difficult not to relish that. At last Regina had the upper hand. At last she could make her dark side tremble.

"You wouldn't. Not for her."

"Really? Let's find out."

She squeezed her heart in her gloved fist, watching as her mirror image faltered, doubling over in tandem as the pain gripped her. They both sank to their knees, their legs refusing to support them as the tightness spread from their chests. "Please," the queen gasped out, "stop. No more!"

Regina wanted to keep going. Only a little more pressure and her heart would be dust. It would be over, blissfully over. Storybrooke and all her family would be safe. She had the will to do it, but at the last moment, a small niggle of self-preservation emerged, stopping her. Her glance settled on Zelena for an instant, and she found herself relaxing her grip.

"Now you know that I'm serious, _Your Majesty_ , you may start by leaving my family alone." She rose to her feet so that she could glare down at the queen. "That includes Charming and Snow."

Her other half had the audacity to smile lasciviously at the mention of Snow. "Oh, must I? Snow White did so enjoy my attentions. You and I both know how good we are in bed."

Regina's hand clenched around her heart again, drawing a pained gasp from both of them. "Leave. Her. Alone!"

"Fine! Okay. Stop! I promise."

"Good. Now run back to Gold and tell him that you're not going to do his dirty work with regards to our sister any more. He can use someone else. Or better yet, he could try solving his problems like a functioning human being."

The queen gritted her teeth but just nodded her response before disappearing from the scene. Regina stared at the place where she'd been for several seconds and then restored her heart to its proper place with a soft grunt. The magic sorted everything out and all was well once more.

Once she felt steady enough, she walked over and offered Zelena a hand up, which was gratefully received. "Thanks, Sis."

"You're welcome."

The two sisters made their way carefully back into the farm house, and Regina sat Zelena down in a kitchen chair so that she could heal the gash in the woman's forehead. "Thanks for that. I don't think I could channel enough magic for warm milk at the moment."

"Of course. I'm just sorry I didn't get here _before_ she started tossing you around like a chew toy."

Zelena laughed at the comparison. "I'd say you got here right on time."

"Perhaps." Regina had wanted a show-down with the queen, after all, and she'd gotten it. It might even have been productive. Only the future would tell. "I'm sure that Gold is going to be displeased with her failure. Do you think it will be enough to crack that alliance?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I'd like to hope so."

"With Emma's power unpredictable at best, we might need him to help put the queen and I back together again."

"That's the path you're choosing then?"

"It's the only path," she admitted. "I ached to kill her out there and yet something stopped me. As much as I thought I didn't care anymore…I don't want to die."

It was a tough admission to make. As much as she didn't want it to be true, she was human, as weak and fallible as any other, and much more than some. She might use Henry or Snow as an excuse not to throw her life away, but it had been her simple, human desire to persevere that kept her from ending it.

"Well then, we'll either find a way to make him help us, or we'll find a way to do it without him. Either way, I'm with you."

"Thank you, Zelena," the brunette offered her sister a smile, "that means a lot."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: The first section of this chapter was written before 6x10 aired, but I decided to hold back on finishing the chapter until I saw what canon was doing. I have an idea in my head of where I want to take this story, and it's well out of where canon is going, so there will be** _ **elements**_ **from canon used here, but I'm going to more or less completely diverge at this point. As always, thanks for reading! -J**

* * *

The tinkle of the bell on the door was obnoxious as ever when Regina strode into Gold's shop. The man himself was patiently sweeping up broken glass, the apparent product of one of his temper tantrums. She would have thought that a man so practiced in patient malice and tactful manipulation would have learned how to better channel his anger by now. Then again, she wasn't sure she could talk. The evil queen wasn't exactly a bastion of mental stability.

"What do you want, Regina? I'm in no mood to chat with you today."

"So I see," she nodded at the jumble of debris on the floor. "Evil queen problems?"

"You could say that," he growled in response.

That dangerous tone always raised the hackles on the back of Regina's neck, among other things, and it reminded her exactly why her other half had chosen to pursue an alliance with the man. "Then maybe the two of us can make a deal."

"Just what sort of deal would you want to make with me, Dearie?" Gold asked, darkly. "Don't tell me you want my help to unite the two of you together."

"Well, yes, that's exactly what I'm asking."

"You do realize that I want her dead?"

"While I understand the desire, and I really do, that could be a problem. I've decided I'm not ready to give up on life just yet."

"If that's the case, I'd take some not so friendly advice: stay out of my way. Better yet, stay out of my sight and maybe I'll let you live long enough to accomplish your goal."

"So, that's a 'no' to helping me then?" she asked, unable to keep a wry note out of her voice.

"It is most definitely a 'no,' Madam Mayor. Now get out of my shop!"

Regina rolled her eyes and magicked herself away instead of walking out. She didn't trust turning her back on Gold, even for the few seconds it would have taken to open the door and leave. Their conversation hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped, but it had gone about as well as she'd expected. At least she now knew for certain that the queen had burned her bridges with Gold. That was something.

She appeared at Granny's and went in, finding Emma and Henry ensconced in a booth with Snow.

"Mom!"

"Hi, Henry," she smiled as he hugged her, and then offered the other two a smile over his shoulder as he hung on for an extra few seconds. "How is everyone?"

"We're good," Emma offered, "How are you?"

Regina could tell that both of the other women were covering their concern for her so that Henry wouldn't see it.

"I'm…better." She slid into the vacant space next to Snow and tried to ignore the way her senses seemed attuned to the other woman in a way they hadn't been before. "I've just come from Gold's shop. It appears that his alliance with the queen is over, but he's not going to help me either."

Snow's hand sought hers and grasped it. Emma noticed, but didn't say anything. Henry remained oblivious to anything out of the ordinary. "You've given up your crusade to destroy the queen then?" Snow asked, hope infusing every word.

"I have." She didn't want to say too much in front of her son, but she did want to let Snow know that it was okay to stop worrying about Regina's imminent death.

"As glad as I am to hear that the queen and Rumpelstiltskin are at odds," Emma said, leading them away from touchy subjects, "what led to the falling out?"

"He sent the queen to kill Zelena since he can't do it himself. Happily, I showed up before she could finish the job."

"What happened?" The concern was back in Snow's voice. That would never do.

"Let's just say that my other half and I had a heart-to-heart."

There was a pause, then Emma groaned. "You mean that literally, don't you? Regina, that was a _horrible_ pun."

Horrible pun or not, Snow was smiling again and that made the blonde's ribbing worth it.

"Let it never be said that I lack a sense of humor, Miss Swan," she winked at Henry, who chuckled, "even if it has been dormant of late."

"I'm not sure I'd call bad puns 'having a sense of humor,'" Emma shot back.

"Says the woman who laughs at fart jokes."

"Okay, you two. Don't make me separate you!" Snow squeezed her hand, and Regina felt happy as she hadn't felt since Robin died.

"But Mom!" Emma did her best angsty teen pout, though the effect was marred by the laughter that still shone from her eyes.

They all laughed again. "So, you had your 'heart-to-heart' with the queen," Snow continued, bringing them back down to earth, "and saved Zelena. Your sister is really back on our side?"

"I wouldn't say that I trust her implicitly, but yes, I believe she is."

Emma and Snow already knew about Zelena's help with the tattoo, but she filled them in on the rest as well. When she was done, they told her what she'd missed regarding Belle, the fairies and Rumple's child, prompted by Zelena's part in that saga.

"Belle sent her son off with Blue? No wonder Rumple went berserk."

"I don't know what he expected, speeding up her pregnancy like that. Who in their right mind would let him near the baby after that?"

"Nobody in their right mind," Regina agreed. "That does mean he'll be preoccupied for a while with getting his son back. His distraction could help us. At least he might not meddle with me while I attempt to rejoin with the queen."

"Which you still need to figure out how to do."

"Yes."

"I might have an idea." All eyes turned to Snow, who shared a look with her grandson. "Aladdin."

"Isn't he helping Jasmine to find Agrabah?"

"He is, but I'm sure if I asked them, they would help. He was a savior, after all, and now he's a genie." They all took a moment to digest this information.

"You're forgetting that all magic comes with a price, and a genie's magic, in particular, usually carries a pretty high cost." Regina looked at Snow, "We would know."

"As I recall, you benefitted greatly from that particular genie's magic."

"I didn't call him forth. Your father did."

"And he paid for it with his life."

"My point, exactly."

"Aladdin still represents the best hope we have of fixing everything that's wrong. Besides, Aladdin isn't a bad genie, it could be alright."

"Neither was Sydney. He was just foolish."

"Well, unless you have a better idea, I'm going to talk to Jasmine."

There was the rub. Regina had absolutely no plan – at least not one that stood a chance of working – to recombine with her dark self, let alone to break the curse on Snow and Charming. "I don't have a better idea, and you know it."

"Aladdin it is then." Snow gave her the usual hopeful smile. "This could work, Regina."

"Where have I heard that before?"

 **oOoOo**

Regina accompanied Snow when she went to speak with Jasmine and Aladdin, who appeared after a brief rub of the lamp. "You want me to help recombine you with your darker self? Sure, I can do it, but you know that it comes with a price."

"Of course. I tried to remind Snow of that, but she seems determined that this is the only way to go about fixing the problem."

"Maybe if we're careful about how we word the wish, we can…"

Just what they could do would never be known as Emma and Hook rushed into the apartment. Regina's gaze flashed in their direction. "What is it? What happened?"

"The queen," Emma began.

"She tried to waylay us," Hook continued.

"I cut her! With this!" Emma waved a sword.

"What sword is that?" Snow frowned, not recognizing it. "Where did you find it?"

"It was in Gold's shop. It's the one that I saw in my vision."

Regina's eyes were fixated on the sword. "You said you cut her?"

The blonde looked abashed. "She, um, said some things and I lost control for a minute. I slashed at her in frustration and I cut her. She tried healing it and couldn't. Are you okay?"

"I feel absolutely fine."

The relief on Emma's face was palpable. It was followed by happiness. "We can kill her! We can use the sword to get rid of her for good."

She could feel all eyes on her. Snow's hand settled on her arm. "Regina?"

"I want you all to stay here."

"Regina, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go talk to myself."

They all started to speak at once, but she was already transporting herself to the cabin. "Come on out, Your Majesty! I know you're there."

There was a momentary pause, but the queen arrived in a puff, wearing the blue, Victorian-styled dress she'd worn with Hyde. That was one of the better outfits she came up with, Regina thought idly. Her eyes were drawn to a long gash on the side of her doppelganger's face. The mark left by Emma's sword.

"I'm here to negotiate a truce," Regina said formally, slipping back into the parlance of a ruler, leaving the mayor behind.

"You're finally ready to surrender?" there was barely contained glee in the queen's eyes.

"No, you are."

The queen scoffed, "Oh please."

"You can stop bluffing. I know you're afraid. We can hurt you now without hurting me and the others are baying for your blood."

"But not you?" the queen's head tilted to the side as she regarded her.

"I've done a lot of thinking in the last day or two. As much as I want to cut you down and be done with you forever, especially after what you did to Snow, I realized that I can't do that. It's taking the coward's way out instead of dealing with my own demons."

She paused for a moment to let that sink in before continuing. "I was wrong to think that I didn't need you. It was wrong for me to just throw you away. I can't truly be a hero if I'm not making an active choice to do good instead of evil."

The queen made a sound of disgust, and Regina shook her head. "Gag at the idea if you want, but we're not going to be the villain any more. We have too much to lose. We need each other, but _I_ am going to be in control and you are going to submit to me."

"Me submit to _you_? Not likely. You're weak!"

"You know, you keep saying that. Just saying something doesn't make it true. Refusing to hurt other people does not make me weak. Being cruel does not make you strong."

There wasn't an immediate comeback to that. Regina took that as a good sign. For all of her crazy, her plotting and machinations, the queen was still her. Of the two of them, she was the chess player, and Regina knew she'd be thinking of possibilities. There really was only one answer though. They both knew it.

"How do you propose we accomplish this merger?"

"Snow wants to use the genie."

"Does she," it was a statement, not a question. "You obviously know better, or you wouldn't be here trying to convince me to go along with you. A wish would have solved this without my input."

"We both know very well the cost of that sort of magic."

"Yes, we do." The response was thoughtful. "Unless we word the wish carefully."

"Even then, there is a chance that it could backfire."

"What is your alternative? The Dark One?"

Regina shook her head again. "He won't help us. I don't know what you did to him, but he wants you dead."

"I did what I always do, what we always did. I threw a monkey wrench in his plans."

"That must have been a hell of a monkey wrench."

"Oh, it was," the queen smirked. "If he won't help us, the only option is the wish. Those are the only powers I know of that are strong enough to do such a thing as making us one again."

"What if we combined our powers with those of Emma and Zelena? With me acting as the conduit?"

The queen pondered this. "I don't think it would work. We'd have amazing amounts of raw power, but we would need to find the proper spell. I don't know that one exists."

"I guess that leaves the genie," Regina sighed.

"Or the Dark One."

"That's never going to…"

Something wasn't right. Her fingers started tingling and as she watched, the queen began to fade. She knew that her other half's look of confusion was mirrored on her face, and then it was followed by such an expression of profound loss and sadness. There was a sudden rushing, falling sensation, like Regina had gotten jerked backward by her hair and was headed for the ground. Then everything went black.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina opened her eyes. She was confused for a moment to find herself staring at the ceiling of the loft. It wasn't that she didn't remember the moments before she'd been knocked unconscious, but of all the places she'd expected to end up, this was not one of them.

"Regina? Oh, thank God!" It was Snow's voice.

She struggled up into a sitting position, and was shocked to find David standing next to Snow and Emma. They were all looking down at her expectantly. "What the hell happened?"

Her eyes met Snow's and suddenly she was flooded with memories that made her blush. _Snow's head thrown back in ecstasy as Regina's fingers drove into her. Biting her way up the pale flesh of the other woman's throat. Her possessive kisses muffling Snow's cries of pleasure._ She dropped her gaze away, no longer able to hold eye contact. How the Charmings and Emma had managed to accomplish it, she wasn't sure, but Regina and the queen were the same person once more.

There were other memories, some more disturbing, but she didn't have time to examine them at the moment. Emma was speaking. "We, um, didn't know what you were going to do, so we," she glanced sheepishly at her parents for a second, then gave that self-conscious smile that Regina knew so well, "we used a couple wishes."

"Of all the idiotic…" Oh, there was the darkness that she'd been missing while the queen was away. She forced herself to take a calming breath. "I'm sorry. Thank you for helping. Just be aware that I'll be saying 'I told you so' at the funeral of whichever of you made the wish."

"That would be my funeral," Emma supplied.

Of course it would.

Regina sighed. "Savior complex?"

"It's kinda in the job description."

"We thought about what we were asking for before making the wishes," Snow put in. "Emma didn't just ask for something willy-nilly."

"I hope that's enough." She pushed herself up off the floor and dusted herself off.

The three of them were watching her closely, as though they were waiting for her to fly off the handle in full evil queen mode. "What are you all looking at?" she asked, her eyebrow quirked.

"The wish did work…right?" this from David.

"If you're asking me if my other half and I are the same person again, the answer is a resounding 'yes.' I have memories in my head that I really don't care to think about." _And some that are all I want to think about._ Her eyes met Snow's again and this time it was Snow who blushed. "I have a feeling that I'll be consulting with Archie for a long time to come."

"The three of us need to have that chat too," David reminded her. Like she could forget.

"Maybe the two of you should talk through everything first," she suggested. It was not very brave to be stalling, but it would buy her time to better get her thoughts together...and do an awful lot of drinking. "It's your marriage."

Snow and David looked at each other, and then Snow nodded. "We should do that. Yeah."

Regina walked over to Emma, and the two stood face to face for a moment before Regina spoke, "Thank you, Emma. That was a foolhardy thing you did, but even so, I'm grateful."

"You would have done the same for me," Emma gave a quick smile.

"Well, I'm not sure I would have done _that_ " she laughed and squeezed Emma's arm, "but I'd have done something, yes. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to go process the information that is now in my head, and try my best to drink the entire contents of my liquor cabinet."

There was concern in Snow's eyes when she said that. "Regina…"

She held up a hand. "I'll be fine, Snow. I promise I won't drink myself to death now that you've gone through the trouble of putting me back together again."

This seemed to mollify Snow. She was further appeased when Regina added, "Come by for coffee tomorrow? Just don't show up before noon."

"Okay, Regina. Have a good night."

"I'm not sure _good_ is in the cards, but I'll do my best."

 **oOoOo**

In the end, it hadn't been a very good night as she'd sorted through the new memories inside her head. It was surreal, having memories of things that you knew _you_ hadn't done, and yet the evil queen was still her. It defied all attempts at reconciling properly in her brain, so she just drank until the guilt and in some cases embarrassment (She'd done _that_ with Gold? Really?) faded to a buzz in the back of her mind.

The worst part was now knowing exactly what the queen had done with and to Snow. It was not as though the queen had abused her. In fact, since the queen was pretending to be Regina, she had made love to Snow in a way that Regina might have, if she'd been given the opportunity. The problem came from the lack of informed consent and the manipulation of the bond that Snow and Regina shared. The betrayal made Regina feel guilty and angry, in almost equal measures.

To complicate matters, there was also an undercurrent of envy, despite the fact that it was ludicrous to be envious of herself. Still, even though she had the queen's memories, she hadn't gotten to participate in the experience firsthand, and that drove her almost to distraction. She supposed that was the biggest reason that she allowed herself to drink until she was too tired to drink any more, then went to sleep it off.

At five minutes after noon, the doorbell rang. Regina hadn't known whether Snow would come alone or if David would be with her, but it was just Snow. Regina ushered her into the kitchen and handed her a cup of coffee. Then Regina leaned against the counter, nursing her second cup of the morning, and waited for her to say something. Instead, silence lingered. "One of us will have to say something eventually, you know," she told Snow.

She smiled. "I think you just did."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"I do."

There was another pause until Regina murmured, "I'm sorry about what happened."

"I'm not."

"You're…not?"

Snow shook her head and Regina was flabbergasted. "I'm not happy about being tricked and used by the evil queen, and if she was still on the loose, I'd be having a harder time with this," she looked up and held Regina's gaze, "but I thought that it was you when I said yes. She _is_ you, Regina."

She walked over so that she could give Regina a gentle touch on the arm, "I thought I was helping you, but now I know I was wrong. I should never have suggested that you throw away parts of yourself, even the parts that I might not like very much."

"Even though they're parts of me that still hate you?" It was hard to say that out loud. Snow's smile turned rueful.

"I think especially then. I still have hope that maybe someday those parts will stop hating me too."

"You and your hope," it was her turn to smile.

"Well, it's what I'm known for."

Regina just nodded, and watched as Snow carefully put her coffee cup on the counter, and turned to wrap her arms around Regina's waist. Regina froze, unsure how to react. She knew how she _wanted_ to react, but there was still a discussion that they hadn't had. "Snow?"

"It's okay. David and I did a lot of talking. A _lot_ of talking." Knowing David and Snow, Regina suspected there may have been some shouting as well. "He's willing to let me try to work out my feelings for you."

"What exactly does that mean?"

Snow watched her eyes for a moment without answering the question, then leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her lips. Regina had to reach out blindly to set her own coffee on the counter, lest she spill it all over the floor. Kissing Snow felt foreign and yet achingly familiar, thanks to the new memories, and Regina felt any resistance she might have clung to slipping out of her grasp.

"It means I have permission to that," Snow murmured when the kiss broke.

"Permission?"

"Mmhmm."

"What else do you have permission to do?"

There was a playfully naughty look Snow's face when she answered that question. "I think we might enjoy it a lot more if I showed you, rather than telling you."

"I think you might be right," a smile tugged at the corners of Regina's lips.

She led Snow up to her bedroom, stopping twice along the way to kiss, once at the bottom of the stairs and again at the top. By the time they made it into the room, Regina had gotten Snow's sweater off and Snow was working on the buttons of Regina's blouse. Regina could have used magic to hasten the job, but where was the fun in that?

As her hands went around Snow's back to unfasten her bra, she started kissing her way down her neck, biting lightly at her skin as she went. It was still hard to believe this was actually happening, but if it was some type of dream, Regina didn't want to wake from it.

Bright pink marks blossomed on Snow's pale skin as Regina's teeth moved further, tracing the swell of her breast until she encountered her nipple. She teased the rosy bud with flicks of her tongue until it stiffened, and then sucked it between her lips, reveling in the pleasure-filled sigh that Snow gave in response. There were fingers in her hair, carding through and rubbing over her scalp, drawing a hum from low in her throat. "I love that," she murmured around the little nub in her mouth, and she felt as much as heard Snow say, "I know," in response.

Of course she did. The queen had told her so when they'd been together. That illicit knowledge worked both ways, however, because she knew exactly the sort of response she'd get when she took Snow's nipple between her teeth and gave it a tug. Fingers tightened in her hair and Snow arched to meet her, her gasp loud in the quiet room.

"Regina…" It was a desperate whimper, making it clear that Snow wanted more, and was practically ready to beg for it. Dragging her teeth off the bud at last, which brought another whimper, she took Snow's hand and pulled her toward the bed. It was the work of a few moments to get the rest of their clothes off, and she told Snow to lie down on her back, watching appreciatively as she did so.

There was a long pause as the two of them looked at each other, then Regina moved onto the bed, coaxing Snow to spread her legs so that she could kneel between them. Here, at least, was a first for the two of them that was not overcast by the queen's shadow.

Settling herself, she kissed slowly along the sensitive skin of Snow's inner thigh, feeling a tremor under her lips that was accompanied by a needy moan. This close, her senses filled with scent of the other woman's arousal, and it was all she could do not to dive right in. Stolen memories aside - which did not count to her mind - it had been such a long time since she'd been with another woman. That alone made her want to draw it out, to savor this moment like she would savor a fine glass of Scotch. That it was Snow White made her want to savor it even more.

Snow was begging by the time she'd kissed her way up the other thigh, her soft pleas imploring her to stop teasing and "just fuck me already!" Regina let out a dark chuckle and dragged her tongue along Snow's outer lips, collecting the first taste of her essence. "Such language," she chided with considerable amusement before letting her nose brush through damp curls, breathing deep, excited beyond belief by the ample evidence of Snow's need. "So impatient."

"Regina…" her name came as a whine.

Smiling to herself, she finally gave in. Using her fingers to open Snow to her, she sent her tongue exploring through wet folds, and up to flick lightly over the tightening bundle of nerves at the apex. It was easy to lose herself in the task, enjoying every sigh and moan, the way Snow wriggled beneath her mouth, and fisted her hand in Regina's short hair. After a time, she introduced two fingers to compliment the actions of her lips and tongue, sending Snow into a renewed bout of pleasure-soaked noises, and more urgent motions with her hips. Regina wrapped her free arm around her thigh and across her belly to hold her steady while driving her to her inevitable ending.

It was Snow's breathing that let her know she was dangling on the edge. There was one last hitch and, "Ohh, Regina…going to…ohhhhh!"

Then she was coming, head moving back and forth on the pillow as her hips bucked. Regina stayed with her through it all, catching her clit between her lips, and sucking hard. That drew a shout, prolonging the moment for so long that she wondered if there had been a second orgasm on top of the first. Either way, Regina felt happiness settle over her at being able to bring Snow so much pleasure after everything that had happened.

She slowed her movements gradually, then stopped, withdrawing her hand before sitting up and letting her gaze take in the disheveled beauty of the woman before her. Snow's eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling as she sucked in deep breaths, a contented smile playing across her lips. The realization settled in just how much she loved this woman, and how thankful she was for the opportunity that she'd just been given.

Giving a happy little sigh, she settled in next to Snow, and smiled at her when her eyes opened. "That was…mmm," Snow said in a very contented voice.

"Mmhmm."

Snow rolled toward her and wrapped her in her arms, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips. "I think I owe David big time for this," Regina said as she pulled away. That wasn't something she'd ever expected to say post-coitus, but she hadn't expected to ever be in this situation either.

"I think we both do," Snow agreed with a grin, "but let's not think about that right now." Her hand slid down Regina's back, and came to a rest on her butt. "There are a few things I want to do with you first."

Regina had to laugh at the salacious intent in Snow's voice. "Oh really?"

"Most definitely."

"Well then, my dear, be my guest."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N** : This is a short chapter because I've had this section written for months, thinking that I wouldn't post it until I'd written the next bit. However, I need to go back through season 6 and decide how I want to end my version of it, since I've diverged so far from canon. That means it will probably take me a little while yet to finish, and I wanted to post this and let everyone know I haven't abandoned it!

 **oOoOo**

It had been a wonderful afternoon, truly it had, and when Regina shouldered her way into the sheriff's office, she was still wearing the smile that she couldn't seem to banish.

"What've you got there, Regina?" David asked, as he spied the casserole dish in her hands.

"Dinner." She saw his speculative look and laughed. "I know, I probably made too much. Emma can have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow."

"I think there might be enough there for us both to be eating the leftovers tomorrow." He peeked under the lid of the dish after it was settled on the desk, "Smells delicious though. What's the occasion?"

"My gratitude." Regina watched his eyes as he sat back in his chair and looked up at her. She sat lightly on the edge of the desk before continuing. "I wanted to thank you for being so understanding. Most men wouldn't be, especially considering our history."

David gave a chuckle and shook his head. "I suppose not, and honestly this whole thing hasn't been easy," he sobered as he went on, "but Snow's happiness is important to me. I would move mountains for her, so I couldn't just say no when she asked me to give this a try. She loves you, and like it or not, you're family."

"I like that very much. More than you know." She reached out and gave his shoulder a fond squeeze. "I'm sorry for everything the queen did to you."

He shrugged. "We survived. And who knows, maybe the queen seducing Snow was actually a blessing in disguise."

Regina blinked, utterly flabbergasted for a moment. "Who are you, and what have you done with David Nolan? You can't be the same man that threw me up against a wall two days ago for sleeping with his wife."

"I'm sorry about that, by the way." He had the grace to look sheepish about what had happened. "I just mean that the two of you have been obsessed with each other for years. At least now everything's out in the open."

"Obsessed?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Regina, Snow ran off to find a way to defeat you on our wedding night. Well, our official wedding night." Since they'd already been married before that. He smiled. "In retrospect, that should have been a pretty big clue. And you. Razing villages trying to find her? Watching her through mirrors? If you don't think that's obsession, I think you need a new dictionary."

It was a fair point.

"I do love her," she said quietly. It was an admission that she really hadn't made to anyone, even Snow.

"I know you do. That's why I decided not to fight this. You both deserve to mend what has been broken for so many years."

"Pretty profound for a shepherd."

"I have my moments."

"Sometimes you do, Charming. They're few and far between, but sometimes you do."

"Hey!" He gave her a nudge and they both laughed, secure in the notion that at least they had an understanding. After a minute, the laughter faded away, and his face turned serious. "Just promise me that you're not going to hurt her, and I'll deal with my own feelings."

"I don't think anyone can promise never to hurt another person, especially me, but I'll do my best. I don't want to hurt her anymore."

"Okay, well, I guess that's a start."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, David."

"You're welcome, Regina."

 **oOoOo**

Things were going well, too well, and Regina kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Snow hadn't seemed to notice, remaining as chirpily optimistic as ever. She was currently curled up on the sofa with her head in Regina's lap while the latter flicked idly through a fashion magazine, scoffing every once in a while at some outlandish new runway trend, and mentally bookmarking the pages that she wanted to come back to later. Her free hand was riffling through Snow's short hair, and she could tell from the happy sighs that she was enjoying it immensely.

It was odd, being like this with the woman who was once her mortal enemy, yet at the same time, nothing had ever felt so right. "Why don't we take the boys out for a picnic this weekend?" Snow asked, as Regina's fingernails brushed along her scalp. "Mmm…the weather is supposed to be nice."

"Henry is spending the weekend with Emma," she reminded her. Though that might give them an opportunity for other things.

"We can invite Emma and Killian along too. It'll do us all good to get out as a family for a little while without worrying that something's going to pop up to try and kill us."

"I'm not sure we should ever stop worrying about that," Regina commented dryly, especially since Emma's dream premonitions hadn't yet been resolved, "but okay. I don't object to a picnic, as long as I don't have to do _all_ the cooking."

"You won't. We'll help you." Snow shifted so that she could look up at her. "Or we could order from Granny's" There was a smirk along with that, a glimpse of a challenge.

"Because we don't eat out far too much as it is," she poked Snow's belly, raising an eyebrow of her own.

"Did you just call me fat?"

At that Regina laughed and started to tickle her. Snow screeched and tried to wriggle away, rolling off onto the floor. Regina followed her down, still tickling her unmercifully until Snow managed to roll her over, pin her hands to the floor, and kiss her senseless. When they finally came up for air, they were both laughing and panting. "I would never call you fat," she assured her, lifting her head to steal another kiss. "You're perfect."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day where _you_ called _me_ perfect."

"Me neither." A sly smile spread onto her lips, as she managed to wiggle her way out of Snow's strong grip. She didn't tickle her again, instead wrapping her into her arms and giving her a more languid kiss. "We should get up off the floor," she murmured after a few minutes.

"We should," Snow replied, but she didn't make any attempt to move. When their lips met again, Regina chuckled, waving a hand so that they were transported to her bed. "Cheater…"

"I didn't realize it was a competition."

"It's not."

Another kiss.

"You weren't moving."

Another.

"Are you complaining?"

"Not at all. Just wanted to be comfortable."

"Mmhmm."

It was heaven, lying there kissing like that, measuring time in breaths and heartbeats, in soft touches and hungry moans. Snow was easy to get lost in because their connection was so deep, and it wasn't long before Regina found herself once again pinned beneath her, Snow's thigh pressed tight against her core.

"I want you," she murmured against Snow's lips, then gave her nose a playful brush with her own.

"You already have me."

"Not what I mean and you know it."

"Do I?" There was the tease again.

"Yes, you do. Now get up for a second."

Snow obliged, giving Regina the ability to banish what was left of their clothes and summon a strap-on around Snow's hips. Snow looked down with a little chuckle, shaking her head as she returned to her arms. "You know, I always have loved magic. When it wasn't being used _against_ me, that is."

"It does make things more convenient," she agreed as they shifted around, humming her appreciation when the toy slid into her. "That's…perfect."

Snow was holding, letting her just feel the fullness of the thing as they watched each other's eyes. "You're perfect."

"I thought we'd already established that you were. We can't both be."

"Who says?" Snow gave a little shove forward with her hips, pushing deeper and drawing a soft grunt from low in Regina's throat.

"Well, when you put it that way," her eyes drifted closed as she felt Snow start to rock back and forth. Regina moved with her, helping to establish a rhythm that had pulses of pleasure sizzling along her nerve endings. She surrendered to it, letting go in a way that she rarely did. It was hard for Regina to give up control, since she had so often felt helpless and powerless in her life, but somehow this felt safe. It felt good. Beyond good.

Snow's hands found hers, twining their fingers together so that she couldn't touch herself. The pleasure built and built until she was nearly whimpering with need. "Snow…I need to…I can't get there without…"

"Shhhhh."

"Please…" It was a whisper. She hated to beg. Begging brought too many bad memories of the times she'd begged her mother not to hurt her, or begged Leopold not to…she shuddered. That the word slipped out anyway was a product of her desperation. She was hanging on the edge now, every thrust an exquisite agony, but she couldn't find completion without fingers on her clit.

"Wait, Regina." The warmth of Snow's breath washed across her ear, before she sucked at the tender spot just below it. "Just a bit more."

"Can't…I can't…"

"You can."

Her muscles were tensing, seeking the release she couldn't find, and just when she thought she couldn't take it any longer, Snow let go of her hands so that she could bring one of her own down between them. Fingers found the engorged mass of nerves and rubbed a tight circle, sending Regina cascading into one of the most powerful orgasms she'd ever had.

It was only much later, after she'd finally recovered her breath and her wits, and was cuddled up in Snow's arms that she thought to ask, "Where on earth did you learn to do that?"

Snow laughed. "Learn to do what?"

"Deny a person's orgasm so that they almost pass out when they come."

"Belle is not the only person around here who reads, you know."

"I find it hard to believe that you learned how to do _that_ at the public library."

"You'd be surprised."

"I'll never look at Belle in the same way."

Snow laughed again. "Haven't you ever heard that it's the quiet ones you need to look out for?"

"No, but I'll keep that in mind." She placed a kiss, then a soft nip on Snow's throat, "Though you seem to have overlooked one thing."

"Oh? What's that?"

Regina smirked as she pushed her back into the mattress, ropes magically snaking out of the bed to hold Snow's hands. "That it's my turn now, and I'm definitely going to get revenge."


End file.
